Preventing childhood B-ALL through maternal diet and TVA intake
Official title: Toward the prevention of childhood B-ALL by maternal dietary intake of TVA
Funded at Loyola University Chicago · NIH-11447223 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study at Loyola University Chicago will explore whether a mother’s intake of TVA during pregnancy can help prevent childhood B-ALL in babies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Loyola University Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Maywood, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $482,764 |
| NIH project number | 1R01CA309034-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11447223 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are pregnant individuals and their children, particularly where there is concern about leukemia risk or family history.
✕Less likely to help
Pregnant people not using TVA-containing dietary approaches or those without risk factors may see no benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how a mother’s dietary TVA might influence the risk of a child developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a common pediatric cancer. Researchers will study how pre-birth exposure could affect blood-forming cells and the early beginnings of leukemia. The team will use human data and models to understand how immune and genetic factors interact with TVA exposure. The goal is to identify a potential, safe strategy to reduce the chance of B-ALL beginning before birth.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the approach could offer a simple dietary strategy to lower the risk of childhood B-ALL.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has linked prenatal factors to childhood leukemia risk; this study aims to build on that by focusing on TVA exposure.
Where this research is happening
-
Loyola University Chicago
Maywood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhang, Jiwang — Loyola University Chicago
- Study coordinator: Zhang, Jiwang
Related research
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Understanding how genetics contribute to childhood B-ALL (a type of leukemia)
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This grant tests a new treatment strategy that combines a VAV3 inhibitor with an estrogen receptor degrader to help patients with difficult-to-treat B-ALL, including relapsed cases.
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.